Oral History: Willbanks, James

James Willbanks commissioned into the U.S. Army in 1969. He served as an advisor in Vietnam and was in the Battle of An Loc during the 1972 North Vietnamese Eastertide Offensive. Mr. Willbanks retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1992 and received several medals, including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.  Mr. Willbanks then joined the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was Professor Emeritus of Military History. Mr. Willbanks was a consultant to Ken Burns for the Vietnam War for PBS. He is an author of several books, including A Raid Too Far and Abandoning Vietnam. Mr. Willbanks retired in 2018 and now resides in Georgetown, Texas.